Riverbrian

I agree with your overall sentiment... but it was one ball... Doesn't make your point less valid. I'm just pointing out that the 4th pitch of the AB... the one that he grounded into a double play on... that pitch was dead center in the zone. The third pitch tho'.... Yeah... it was way outside with the count 2-0. He definitely didn't need to help Quantrill out in that scenario. He should have been 3-0 after that pitch. Unless of course the ump rings him up on it like he was doing during the game.

Well said. It's very easy for me to say... send him down without the information you are talking about but yeah... you and I and all of us are not responsible for his career and the future of club and the short term and long term impact of each day to day move. I am certainly not qualified for these decisions and I shouldn't be. With that said. SEND HIM DOWN! 😉

If I were to guess. I believe he knows that they have to bring the pitchers back into the zone for better pitches to hit. If they keep swinging out of the zone... the pitchers are going to stay out of the zone. It's up to the players to stop doing that but we are into May now. We are now dealing with multiple slumps that have extended past 100 AB and they are still swinging out of the zone. 100 Ab's needs a new name... because it is past a simple slump. We have reached the point of wondering if the front office is just gonna keep drawing water from the same well.

If Miranda doesn't stop chasing. His defense won't buy him time to work through it and his teammates are not hitting well enough to cover for his chasing. If he doesn't stop chasing he will play himself to AAA regardless if Lewis or Lee are ready. You can't play every day what he is giving us every day. I still believe in him but... this team is in contention. We are 128 AB's into his season. This is beyond a slump. Chasing that first pitch with the bases loaded after a hit batter followed by two walks was my final straw. I'm ready.

It's May... Little too soon to be declaring the summer over. 😄 But... Yeah... Today was bad. Can't put a bright whatever on it. It's a long season... plenty games to get happy and pissed about.

Agreed and after watching him pitch today. I believe he threw a below average game. Worst 1 hitter I've seen in quite some time.

Third pitch was a ball. Bad plate discipline for the situation for sure. However... the 4th pitch that he grounded into DP on was dead center strike. Miranda on the other hand... He didn't give himself a chance to DP on a dead center pitch. After watching HBP, BB, BB he swung at the first pitch. That first pitch was up and in. He can't seem to stop doing that. Oh Well... Nothing that I haven't seen before. Tomorrow is another day and so is the Tuesday after that.

It wasn't a lay out but Kepler made a full effort catch into the screen that would have taken him into the stands. I really appreciated that.

A couple of friends of mine... husband and wife... took a weekend trip up to the Northwest Angle to do a little fishing on Lake of the Woods. They got a little bit of money... quite a bit of money actually so they hired a guide service, invited a friend from the university and his daughters. The guide or guides plural because I guess there were two of them... were going to take them around the lake for about 3 hours but they had some issue with the boat, lost control of it and they end up beaching in on an island deep deep into Canada. Cell phones were useless in the middle of the lake. There was a big argument between the guides because one of them forgot to bring the emergency equipment on to the boat, locator beacons, flares... nothing and apparently this guide was always making mistakes like that because the other guide kept hitting with him his hat and saying that over and over. That group of lost boaters... spent a week on that island stranded. He was telling me the story and I said... that sounds just like Gilligans Island and he thought it was a terrible analogy. I thought his analogy standards were too high. Maybe it was me... His wife Lovey agreed with him. So what do I know.

Betts was only brought up as an example of a player adjusting to team needs at the time they need it... much like my idea for Gordon in order to get a better bat onto the roster. It was an example for the purpose of implying a potential defensive down tick in order to keep a better overall lineup on the field. I don't know much about Luke Williams or Yonny Hernadez, they could be defensive superstars at SS but they don't appear to be offensive forces at the plate. Betts helping out in the infield allowed them to send sub .200 hitters like Williams and Yonny down to the minors instead of... I don't know... Trayce Thompson because they have a few extra outfielders while the infield is a little hospitalized. If Betts holds firm in the OF with no consideration whatsoever of playing SS or 2B. Now Williams or Hernandez have to stand a post. They are a better team overall if Betts can do this. The Twins could do the same thing and that is what I'm suggesting is possible. When we get into Gordon isn't as good as Betts. We start leaving earth. It's not that complicated in my head. Yet complicated getting it out of my head toward others it seems. It appears we have our answer. Larnach is going across the river. Kirilloff is here. Now we need Kirilloff to be who we are clamoring him to be. If Kirilloff is what he want him to be. Miranda not being who we want him to be... just might matter a little bit less.

I never said better. Does he have to be better than Mookie Betts to play some 3B if needed? I am saying... Gordon has a lot more infield experience and I am saying that you seem to be holding things against Gordon that you are using to support Betts. I was thinking that I might have some time tonight while watching the game to throw a list together of players that have moved around to accommodate team needs. I decided it wasn't necessary because I know that you know that players get moved around. But... thanks for the heads up... You've got specific qualifiers to filter it down before I even start so yeah... no need. I understand that not everybody is going to be able to be multi-positional. I hope to God... you don't think that is what I think. Sano in the OF didn't work out. Perhaps your Sano style softball didn't translate either. Just hit your dinger and drink some beer afterwards it's all your softball team is probably asking of you. If you think I'm completely outside of the margins suggesting that Gordon could play occasional 3B in order to find a roster spot for a guy who might hit the ball. You say we won't agree... I agree on that... It's a gap that we will never close. I'm sure they have a better idea of Nick's capabilities than I do or you do. I won't argue that. They probably have a better idea of Emilio Pagan or Nick Anderson's capabilities as well. I still trust them but let's recognize the margins that we are probably talking about here. If it's my call. Kirilloff can hang a bit in AAA but not much longer to get him past Super Two... I don't know if Super Two will matter because I can't predict his future but it could matter quite a bit if he turns into something wonderful. An injury will shake him loose soon enough but yeah... other than the catcher positions... I do believe that any position player that goes on the DL... We have the position flexibility to make Kirilloff the next call up and improve this club if Kirilloff is indeed capable. Solano... Gordon... Larnach... Miranda... Sing for your supper. When I'm looking to add a bat or something that will help us such as Kirilloff... I'm subtracting from the bottom to make it happen.

You can't use both "fewer than 300 more IF innings in the majors" against Gordon. While using "Taking ground balls in fielding practice his whole career" in Bett's favor. I hope you understand why I will not accept that. You also can't state (earlier discussion) that Gordon has been slid down the defensive ladder as a sign of defensive issues but yet it's ok for Betts to slide down the defensive ladder without that tag. Isn't it better to assume that Gordon was the better OF choice amongst Simmons and Polanco so he grabbed a bigger glove to get some major league work in and help the club because that was where the team could use him. I'm ok with the assumption that Betts would have been the better choice to slide into OF work to get his bat in the lineup compared to Pedroia or Bogaarts sliding out there. Besides if you want to use that logic... why didn't Boston than slide Betts back to 2B when Eduardo Nunez was their 2B or 2019 when Brock Holt was the guy. Actually you are making my argument. Boston in an attempt to get a better bat into the lineup... they put Betts in a place where he could immediately help and that is really what I'm talking about and teams do this sort of thing often. I don't have the time to research it but I could come up with quite a large list if I did. Players slide around as needed and fantasy players get multi position eligibility after 10 games of it. 🙌 Gordon has 4,599 Innings of work at SS in the Minors. Gordon has more experience in the IF. Now if you have some defensive metrics that suggests that Boggs had an ultimate zone rating off the charts in those minor league days... I'll take a look before dismissing them due to my zone rating small sample size bias. 😀 Until then, we have two players who are both multi-positional. Occasional... As needed. As Earned. I can't predict the future but if Miranda is sent down... someone has to play the position. Farmer can handle the bulk but maybe Rocco is going to want to work Gordon into the game like he is doing now. Gordon will get some occasional games at 3B. Easy Enough. Let's say Gordon starts hitting the crap out of the ball and Farmer is Miranda version #2. At that point... let's make it more than occasional because you are going to want Gordon's bat in the lineup. Let's say you are right and Gordon turns out to be a nightmare at 3B like you are worried about. OK... fix that problem if it occurs... just like we are trying to fix the Miranda chasing balls above his head problem right now. We don't have to keep trotting Gordon out to 3B like it is forever. You make another move. How is Kirilloff playing now that we found him a roster spot and playing time? How is Larnach doing? How is Taylor doing? Can Buxton play CF yet? How is Kepler doing? Occasional is defined by what is necessary. Don't know... it's up to the players to show us what is necessary. I think your last paragraph is really the crux of the discussion. The Gordon Betts stuff is just an attempt to look beyond position when trying to improve your team as a whole. I agree that sending down Miranda and Larnach really doesn't do much for them and I don't believe that Kirilloff waiting his turn in AAA doesn't do much for Alex at this point either. It is what it is. However, letting Miranda and Larnach struggle doesn't do much for us and we are a contending team. Hit or get off the pot. Come back and try again later when we call upon you. Having options mean you can be optioned. It isn't entirely fair to the young player but the CBA is an agreed upon document. Cutting Solano? If he isn't contributing. I'm behind this. Right now... I don't see Solano as the problem but if he is just going to hang around and be a short side platoon. If Rocco isn't playing him... Bye... See ya Later. Because you are now a roster spot that is preventing us from bringing up a guy who might move the needle. 😎

Just when I thought you were making progress. 😁 We can't compare Nick Gordon to Mookie Betts as a baseball player in total. Of course not... but we are talking about making potentially slight defensive concessions in order to make what is hopefully a significant offensive gain. In that context... Based on experience. Nick Gordon is much less of a defensive risk in the infield than Mookie Betts is so we really can't compare Betts to Gordon because Betts doesn't measure up to Gordon on paper. The definition of occasionally is... occasionally. Gordon doesn't have to be the new 3B but Gordon could be an occasional guy. If you want to send Miranda down to AAA for Kirilloff to improve the offense. You can do it. But, you got to let Gordon play 3B occasionally and maybe... a me first glider in CF on occasion.

Articles like this paint the picture that it's strictly position to position considerations. But... It's not... I just don't see it that way. Never have... never will. It's 26 man roster spot to 26 man roster spot consideration. If our SS gets hurt and our AAA SS is hitting .200 in St. Paul. Do we have to call up that SS or can we choose the AAA guy who is playing the best? I acknowledge that there could be a defensive loss when you shift players around defensively to accommodate the current needs of a team but that defensive loss is minimal when utilized occasionally compared to a consistent offensive loss using a roster spot on a guy chasing **** over his head. Meanwhile, over in L.A. Mookie Betts has played 8 games at 2B and 6 games at SS. To my knowledge, It hasn't hurt them one bit and it doesn't mean that Betts is now an infielder.

I think Miranda has to cure Miranda. 1 day in the minors didn't cure him last year. That roster spot has value. If he's going to chase like this. Give someone else a chance to show that they won't chase and then maybe we will have added two non-chasers to the roster when Miranda figures it out.

Atta Boy... I'm proud of you!

It was a shallowish pop fly. He covered a lot of ground to the line and then forward to the infield when the ball dropped in front of him. The wall wasn't a factor, the ball was a ways from the warning track. There was no runner on third base. He ran a long way... it would have been a hell of a catch if he made it and a simple foul ball if he didn't make the catch. It just occurred to me after not watching him extend himself forward to try that it's been awhile since I've seen someone in the OF extend themselves forward.

You are absolutely right. I believe in him also but his chasing is horrible right now. Honestly, Miranda was a light in the late season fog last year and I'm grateful he is one of us and I think he will find it again this year. I have high hopes that we got a hitter to help us out for years to come. In the meantime, Bruce Springsteen and I are not going to waste our summer praying in vain for a savior to rise up from these streets. We need more than a return of Miranda to Miranda like production to get where we need to get to. Miranda can't sit here and struggle while holding a roster spot from someone that might be able to join him in our quest.

Yep... and honestly I am Ok if they hold him down in AAA a little longer to get him past super two status since a little longer is all it would take. I know there is no guarantee that super two status will matter with Alex. We could call him up and watch him struggle while the arbitrators laugh at him. He could perform like we hope and we can extend him making super two status non-relevant. However, if Alex is what we hope he is and the arbitrators like what he is doing. The extra money you are paying him during his upcoming arbitration years will add up to a decent player to play along side him making the team stronger overall and that is important for a team with a budget and we all know that we have a budget. This is his last option year. His super two status can only be managed in our favor this year so let's just get it out of the way since it won't take that long. In the meantime, my current participation in this discussion is more of an overall feeling that our offense needs help today and tomorrow and the obvious realization that the current 26 man rosterr is not performing decently enough offensively to keep him down due to 26 man roster space or positional log jams. We need a hitter and a good one. Larnach should know that he has options remaining while Kirilloff is breathing down his neck and Miranda needs to wake up because he has options while Farmer is soon to return and Gordon can play 3B in a pinch. #chpettit19 An article stating that injury to a limited group of players who play a specific spot on the diamond are the 5 scenarios that lead to a Kirilloff call up makes no sense to me at all. There are very few Twins hitting the ball well enough to keep Kirilloff down in St. Paul at the moment but I'm ok with him staying just a bit for future arbitration considerations.

I agree with you on Miranda. I remember feeling the same way last year. On May 18th, 2022 - Miranda's had offensively bottomed out at .332 OPS with a .096 BA. May 18th was also the date that Correa returned from the disabled list and we sent down Royce Lewis to practice other positions for 12 days before returning to the big club on May 29th. On May 29th, it was determined that Royce had learned everything he could about other positions and Royce Lewis was recalled. It was Miranda who was optioned to make room for Lewis. Of course due to the Lewis injury... Miranda was called right back to the big club on May 30. That one day in the minors did him well because after one day in the minors he woke up and BOOM... he was suddenly a hitter. Perhaps we should try that alarm clock again. 😉

10th Inning: Vazquez on 2nd Gordon: Pops up the bunt Kepler: Walks Correa: Hits into Double Play 11th Inning Correa on 2nd Buxton, Polanco and Larnach all go down swinging Just posting this here while we wait for the call up of Alex Kirilloff or while we debate if the team needs him.

10th Inning: Vazquez on 2nd Gordon: Pops up the bunt Kepler: Walks Correa: Hits into Double Play 11th Inning Correa on 2nd Buxton, Polanco and Larnach all go down swinging I wish I could just blow this off and say things like this happen in baseball on occasion. This really hasn't been occasionally with our club. Even with a ghost runner on 2nd to start the inning, this team has ****ing struggled to manufacture extra inning runs. Manfred Man on 2nd base. Twins are Blinded by the Light.

You are right. Kepler is indeed 5th on the team in OPS. This is why we need Kirilloff up here. Kepler's current .744 OPS needs to be 6th or 7th on the team in OPS.

Scenerio Number 6 The front office runs out of patience waiting for the offense to take flight... says Uncle and figures it out.

Yeah Maybe but not crazy high enough to keep a hitter down on the farm.